Good Morning, Musicologists! We hope you’re ready for Wide Open Streaming until late this afternoon
The Flying Burrito Brothers Featuring Gram Parsons.
Here’s today’s line-up:
All Day Wide Open Stream Wednesday
We’ve tossed in some Three-in-a-Rows for good measure. We’ll be circulating more than 26,000 songs for your listening pleasure!
4:00 p.m. The Flying Burrito Brothers, Live at The Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, April 4, 1969 NEW!
The Gram Parsons version of The Flying Burrito Brothers, I might add. The Brothers are actually the opening act at The Avalon for none other than The Grateful Dead. A splendid time was had by all.
7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Spyboy, Live in Zurich 1997
Emmylou Harris in a great performance with her band Spyboy, which she formed specifically to tour in support of her 1995 album, Wrecking Ball.
People, this is a golden opportunity to tune us in. Come on. You know you want to. Just do it.
Good Morning, Students! Today is a short lesson in comparison to the last couple of day, but still an interesting read.
Commemorating a momentous musical moment in rock history.
Here’s today’s musical lesson:
November 25, 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their live performance debut at the Bag O’ Nails Club in London.
November 25, 1967:Incense And Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock goes to #1 in the U.S. The song was co-written by the band’s guitarist, Ed King, who would later become a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. (This is a fucking great psychedelic-era song. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)
November 25, 1968:The Beatles (better known as The White Album) was released in the US, spending 101 weeks on the chart and peaking at #1. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and is listed as No. 10 on Billboard’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Also on this day in 1968, more than 10,000 fans see Cream play their final two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
November 25, 1971: Carly Simon releases Anticipation.
November 25, 1976: The Band, another one of those bands whose greatness can never be denied, goes out with a bang with The Last Waltz. They celebrate an unbelievable career with friends Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, The Staple Singers, Ronnie Hawkins, and Dr. John. Thank you, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson.
November 25, 1997: The original members of The Zombies reunite on stage for the first time in 30 years at London’s Jazz Cafe to promote a new box set called Zombie Heaven.
November 25, 2000: The Beatles’ album, which is very simply titled ‘1’ — a collection of the ir US and UK chart toppers — goes to #1 in Great Britain. It would do the same in America the following week. It will also become the best-selling album in 28 countries worldwide.
Born On This Day
November 25, 1940: R & B singer Percy Sledge (When A Man Loves A Woman) is born in Leighton, Alabama.
November 25, 1944: Bev Bevan of The Electric Light Orchestra is born in Sparkhill, Birmingham, England.
And as quick as this, we’re done for today. Oh, yeah, shit happened to Madonna, Beyonce, JayZ, but you aren’t hearing about that here. Wrong channel.
Good Morning, Music Lovers! What am I thankful for this week? This radio station. Life is too fucking short to listen to bad music and advertising.
Clapton is live in Tokyo this evening with another guitar god named Mark Knopfler!
Here’s today’s Tuesday Bluesday line-up!
11:00 a.m. B.B. King & Friends: A Night of Blistering Blues! NEW!
Join B.B. King with his friends Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Paul Butterfield and others!
The playlist is indeed up. Just go to the Playlist tab on this blog and scroll to the bottom!
3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Homecoming by America
It ain’t the blues, but it is our Album of The Week and it shall be played no matter what else is going on. In fact, many of the songs on this album defy labels. That’s what makes it so great.
7:00 p.m. Eric Clapton & His Band Live From The Tokyo Dome, Japan, November 2, 1988 NEW!
Like B.B. King, Eric Clapton invited a couple of friends in Mark Knopfler and Allan Clarke, vocalist for The Hollies. A splendid time was had by all.
Come on, people. Get your musical shit together. No, we don’t offer “on demand” musicl That’s not what we’re all about. We’d have to charge for that service, and we’re not doing that. This is radio the way it used to be.
It’s Tuesday Bluesday in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we press on with some great events in our musical history.
The Kingston Trio made musical history in 1958
Here’s today’s classic rock lesson:
November 24, 1958: The Kingston Trio became the first group to have a #1 album. Only solo artists had achieved that prior to them.
November 24, 1961: Howlin’ Wolf arrived in London for his first European tour.
November 24, 1965: The Young Rascals begin recording Good Lovin’ which will hit #1 early the next year.
November 24, 1966: The Beatles begin recording sessions for Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band by laying down tracks for Strawberry Fields Forever. In the end, the song doesn’t make the album, but it will appear on Magical Mystery Tour the following year.
November 24, 1972: ABC-TV’s In Concert debuts with Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Poco, and The Allman Brothers Band. Don Kirschner is the producer, and he also produces The Monkees.
November 24, 1979: The Eagles spend a fourth week on top of the album charts with The Long Run.
November 24, 1980: Steely Dan releases the single Hey Nineteen, one of my all-time favorite songs.
November 24, 1985: Blues pioneer Big Joe Turner died of kidney failure at the age of 74. Turner was one of the first artists to ever play rock n’ roll when he wrote and recorded Shake, Rattle and Roll in 1954.
November 24, 1991: Freddie Mercury dies of bronchopneumonia, a complication from AIDS, at his home in London at the age of 45. He had just publicly acknowledged having the disease the day before. His friend (and nothing more), Dave Clark, of The Dave Clark Five, was with him when he died.
Born on This Day
November 24, 1939: Jim Yester, keyboardist for The Association, was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
November 24, 1941: Pete Best, drummer for The Beatles in the very early years, was born in Madras, India.
November 24, 1941: Donald “Duck” Dunn, bass guitarist for the Mar-Keys, and Booker T. & The MG’s, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
We’ll be back in a little bit with today’s music programming!
Happy Monday, Music Lovers! We’ve had an info-packed lesson from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge today, and now we’re giving you some great programming to start your week!
Speaking of Badass Guitarists…
Here’s today’s line-up!
11:00 a.m. Badass Guitarists, Volume 2: Various Artists
In spite of what assholes like Kanye West say about guitars being junk instruments, we here in The Mermaid Lounge revere guitarists and their talent. We’ve got a bunch: Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Mike Campbell, George Harrison, Jimmy Page…and that’s just for starters. In the immortal words of Mike Campbell, “Fuck That Guy.”
3:00 p.m. Wildflowers & All The Rest: Live Wildflowers
As we add all the new Heartbreakers material to the general rotation today, we feel it’s a good time to revisit one of the discs, so we chose to focus on the live versions of the Wildflowers songs. Funny little thing about the inclusion of Walls. It was not part of the Wildflowers time frame, but they included it anyway because they thought it fit so well with the overall feeling of the album, and because it’s such a great fucking song.
7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Beach Boys
We haven’t heard from these guys for a while. Speaking for myself, I never paid much attention to The Beach Boys when I was young but guys like Paul McCartney and Tom Petty had the ultimate respect, and Linda Ronstadt considers Brian Wilson a musical genius, so I started paying attention. I’m glad I did. I now love surf music in general, and I agree with Ronstadt’s assessment of Wilson.
Look, it’s Monday. Here just outside of Boston, it’s dark, gloomy and rainy. The perfect day to tune in some good music. Know what I mean?
And so begins another week. Here at the Mermaid Lounge, we’re trying to accomplish the impossible: Programming a week in advance. It’s a valiant effort, but the jury is OUT. Nevertheless, we have a lot of info here for you.
The very first juke box at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco
November 23, 1899: The first jukebox was placed at The Palais Royale Hotel in San Francisco (see photo).
November 23, 1962: The Beatles auditioned at St. James’ Church Hall in London for The BBC, which was looking for people with potential to be on TV. The Beatles failed. I wonder if the guy who made that decision kept his job.
November 23, 1963: Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs have the top R & B song with Sugar Shack.
November 23, 1964: /The Beatles release the single, I Feel Fine. The B-side is She’s A Woman.
The Rolling Stones are late for the radio shows Top Gear and Saturday Club, and were banned by The BBC.
November 23, 1965: The Beatles film promos for I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out at Twickenham Studios in London. The BBC paid 1,750 pounds for the broadcast rights, and then deals were made with other broadcasters around the world.
November 23, 1967: The Who played the New Barn at The Lions Delaware County Fairgrounds in Muncie, Indiana.
November 23, 1968:Little known fact, here: After Dusty Springfield had recommended Jimmy Page to Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant finalized their recording contract.
Steve Miller debuted on the charts after his first single, Living in The USA.
The Beatles tied the existing rock era record (held by Bobby Darin’s Mack The Knife) with a ninth week at #1 for Hey Jude.
Judy Collins’ version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now enters the Top 40, where it will peak at #8. It will also win The Best Folk Performance of the year.
November 23, 1970: George Harrison released his first solo single, My Sweet Lord, in the US.
November 23, 1972: Bob Dylan arrives in Durango, Colorado, to film the movie Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door).
November 23, 1975: Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody goes to #1 on the UK charts, where it will remain for nine weeks.
November 23, 1976: Wings kicked off a 19-date UK tour at The Royal Court in Liverpool.
November 23, 1983: Tom Evans of Badfinger committed suicide after the band decided to break up.
Born On This Day
November 23, 1939: Betty Everett, of The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) fame, was born in Greenwood, Mississippi.
November 23, 1940: Freddie Marsden, drummer for Gerry & The Pacemakers, was born in Liverpool.
November 23, 1954: Bruce Hornsby, one of the greatest keyboardists ever, leader of Bruce Hornsby & The Range and keyboardist for The Grateful Dead, was born in Williamsburg, Virginia.
How are we this fine morning, Music Lovers? It’s Sunday, a day of rest. It’s the perfect day to tune in, turn on, and drop out. Who said that?
Laura Nyro, one of the most amazing songwriters of all time.
Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up!
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Homecoming by America NEW!
Here we go, everybody claiming this is a “surprise” pick for me. I remember in my younger days people being surprised that I liked much of America’s music. Hey, I’ve never been a head-banger. In fact, you don’t hear that stuff on this station, for the most part.
America is really good at what it does. Call it soft rock; call it whatever you want. But America has made some very creative music. The albums Homecoming, Hat Trick, and Hideaway have some incredible music on them. Tune it in today’s Album of The Week to see what we mean.
3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro’s contribution to popular music is undeniable. She’s a brilliant songwriter, having delivered Wedding Bell Blues, Stoned Soul Picnic, Eli’s Coming, and many other songs. Most have been hits for other people, but Laura Nyro singing them is something to behold. Today, we put her In The Spotlight.
7:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists
Some of the best mind-bending tunes on the planet from The Electric Prunes, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cream, The Doors, Pink Floyd, and others!
10:00 p.m. Murder Most Foul by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s 2020 release about John F. Kennedy’s assassination was aired here when released, and added to the general rotation. Today, we will replay it at 10:00 p.m. on the 57th anniversary of JFK’s assassination.
Here’s what you’ve got to do: Tune us in. This is the easiest thing on the planet to do. Open a tab and click the link at the bottom of this blog entry. No lie. That’s all, folks. We’re not lying.
It’s one pistol of a day at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! We have got a lot of musical news for your history lesson today. I don’t know how we could possibly put anybody but The Beatles in the main photo today. You’ll see why.
We couldn’t possibly put anybody but The Beatles in this blog post today.
Here’s today’s musical historical happenings:
November 22, 1957: Two sixteen-year-olds named Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel appeared on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand as Tom & Jerry where they sang Hey Schoolgirl. The rest, as they say, is history.
November 22, 1961: Bob Dylan completes the recording of his debut album.
November 22, 1963: The Beatles release their second album in the UK called With The Beatles. It knocked their debut album out of the #1 spot, and then proceeded to give The Beatles 51 consecutive weeks at the #1 position on the UK Album Charts.
November 22, 1965: Stevie Wonder releases his hit Uptight (Everything’s Alright).
November 22, 1967: George Harrison begins recording the soundtrack to the movie Wonderwall.
November 22, 1968: The Beatles release their self-titled double album set called The Beatles. It becomes better known as The White Album.
November 22, 1969: The Beatles sit atop the album charts with the spectacular Abbey Road.
November 22, 1981: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods of The Rolling Stones join Muddy Waters on stage at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago.
November 22, 1983: The Pretenders release their great single, Middle of The Road.
November 22, 1986: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble launch their 149-date American and European tour at the Towson Center in Towson, MD.
November 22, 1988: Pink Floyd released their live album, The Delicate Sound of Thunder.
November 22, 1990: Freddie Mercury of Queen issues a public statement confirming the rumor that he has AIDS. He passes away on November 24, 1991 from the illness.
November 22, 2010: After just one week of availability on ITunes, The Beatles’ music sold more than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs.
November 22, 2010:The Beatles (aka, The White Album) returns to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart after its 50th anniversary reissue on November 9.
Born on This Day
November 22, 1943: Floyd Sneed, drummer for Three Dog Night, is born in Calgary, Ontario, Canada.
November 22, 1944: Jesse Colin Young, lead singer and bassist for The Youngbloods, is born in Manhattan.
November 22, 1946: Bass Guitarist Aston “Family Man” Barrett of Bob Marley & The Wailers is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Seems the nickname “Family Man” was a good one. He is reported to have fathered 41 children.
November 22, 1950: Steven Van Zandt (aka, Little Steven), songwriter, guitarist, arranger and producer with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is born in Winthrop, MA.
Tina Weymouth, founding member and bass player with Talking Heads, is born in Coronado, CA.
November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. His death inspires many songs, including The Beach Boys’ Warmth of the Sun, and Bob Dylan’s 2020 release, Murder Most Foul. We will play Murder Most Foul this evening at 10:00 p.m.
And that is it for Sunday at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Stay tuned for today’s line-up!
It’s Saturday, Music Lovers, and it’s our busiest programming day of the week. We have some excellent stuff today.
After a Judy Collins recording session in 1968, Stephen Stills took the opportunity to make some new songs of his own.
Here’s your Saturday line-up:
11:00 a.m. Badfinger Live at The BBC 1972/1973
Badfinger is the only bona fide hitmakers signed to The Apple Label (besides The Beatles, of course). These great live soundboard recordings at the BBC took place in June 1972 and August 1973.
3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Main Refrain by Wendy Waldman
Our final airing of this week’s featured album. Tomorrow when you wake up, we’ll do it all again with a new selection.
7:00 p.m. Stephen Stills: Just Roll Tape, April 26, 1968
A planned Judy Collins recording session turns into an impromptu recording session for Stephen Stills as well. He says ‘just roll tape,’ and we say ‘just listen in.’
10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C., July 6, 1986 NEW!
The Dead are live once again from The Mermaid Lounge with a 1986 performance at RFK Stadium. No two shows alike, my music lovers.
This is Saturday, and an excellent day to find out what we’re all about. Join your friends around the globe and tune us in.
It’s yet another day at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Yesterday’s entry was prolific. Today’s, not so much.
The Zombies, 1964 – Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson and Chris White (seated) ? Chris Walter (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
Today’s action in rock history:
November 21, 1960: George Harrison, merely 17 years old, is deported back home from Germany because he is too young to play with the band. They are forced to play without him at The Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg.
November 21, 1964: The Supremes made it four weeks with their #1 R & B song, Baby Love.
The Zombies, one damned fine band, had one of the biggest hits of their career with She’s Not There at #5.
November 21, 1969: T-Rex played at The Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.
November 21, 1970: Two months after his death, Jimi Hendrix had the #1 song in the UK with Voodoo Chile.
November 21, 1975: Queen releases the album A Night At The Opera in the UK.
November 21, 1980: Steely Dan releases the album Gaucho, which includes appearances by guitarists Rick Derringer and Mark Knopfler.
November 21, 2013: Forty-three years after their break-up, The Beatles had their 31st Top Ten album with On Air–Live at The BBC, debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200.
That’s today’s light lesson. Hey, it’s Saturday, so that’s a good thing. We’ll be back with today’s line-up in just a bit.
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